Media Center

California Tackles Wasteful Outdoor Watering

July 15, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (July 15, 2014) – The State Water Resources Control Board today voted to adopt mandatory emergency drought measures to curtail wasteful uses of water outdoors and help safeguard our future water supply. The new statewide rules require city utilities…

EPA Should Ban Bee-Killing ‘Neonic’ Insecticides

July 7, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (July 7, 2014)—The government should move as quickly as possible to ban a major class of insecticides that scientists say is a primary cause of the massive decline of bees and other crucial pollinators, the Natural Resources Defense Council…

Suit Filed to Ensure Foreign Fisheries Meet American Standards for Dolphin and Whale Safety

July 2, 2014 Press ReleaseNew York

NEW YORK— Each year, nearly half of the more than 5 billion pounds of seafood consumed by Americans — including tuna, swordfish, shrimp, cod and other fish — comes from foreign fisheries that have not been shown as meeting U.S…

Beach Report: 10 Percent of America’s Beach Water Samples Fail Safety Test

June 25, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 25, 2014) – Ten percent of all water quality samples collected last year from nearly 3,500 coastal and Great Lakes beaches in the U.S. contained bacteria levels that failed to meet the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s most protective…

NRDC Poll: Latinos want the government to protect water from pollution

June 23, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 23, 2014)— As Senate Republicans try to kill recent steps by the Environmental Protection Agency to protect water supplies, a new poll finds that Latinos in four states overwhelmingly want the federal government to keep our water safe…

Obama takes 'bold action' to protect Pacific marine life

June 17, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 17, 2014)--President Obama today proposed expanding protections in the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument. The expansion would shelter some of the world's most pristine and biologically rich marine ecosystems.

New York State Reaches Deal to Ban Ivory

June 17, 2014 Press ReleaseNew York

ALBANY (June 17, 2014) – A deal was reached today on a final bill that, when passed, will ban the trade of ivory antiques in the state and increased penalties for traffickers, a move that can make significant progress in…

We Can’t Risk Another Deepwater Horizon, and Shouldn’t Open Coasts for Drilling

June 13, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (June 13, 2014) —The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management is beginning to develop its plan for leasing offshore parcels for oil and gas production for the five-year period that begins in mid-2017.

HidroAysén Cancelled: Chile Rejects Environmental Approval

June 10, 2014 Press Release

Chile’s Committee of Ministers, the country’s highest administrative authority, today cancelled the environmental permits for five controversial dams proposed on two of Chilean Patagonia’s wildest rivers, the culmination of an eight-year battle.

Chile to Deliver Final Ruling on Patagonia Dam Project, HidroAysén

June 5, 2014 Press Release

On June 10, Chile’s highest administrative authority is expected to deliver a final ruling on the future of the mega-dam project, HidroAysén – a project that would have irreversible impacts on Patagonia’s communities and wilderness. The fight over HidroAysén has…

California Welcomes Wolves: Fish & Game Commission Extends State Endangered Species Protections to Wolves

June 4, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (June4, 2014) – Minutes ago, the California Fish & Game Commission voted to extend state Endangered Species Act protections to gray wolves. Following is a statement from Natural Resources Defense Council attorney Damon Nagami: “While other states bicker and…

Acclaimed Chicago Artist Jenny Kendler is NRDC’s First Artist-in-Residence

June 4, 2014 Press Release

CHICAGO (June 3, 2014) – Acclaimed Chicago artist Jenny Kendler has been chosen to be the founding participant in the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Artist-in-Residence program. Kendler’s lauded works, exploring intersections between human culture, perceptions of the natural world, and…

Chamber’s Attack on Clean Water Rule Puts Polluters’ Profits First

May 28, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (May 28, 2014)—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today attacked a new clean water rule with unsubstantiated charges about excessive costs that hold no water.

Senator Feinstein’s “Emergency Drought Relief Act” Overrides Critical Protections for California Fishing Communities

May 22, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SACRAMENTO (May 22, 2014) – Today, the U.S. Senate passed S. 2198 (Feinstein), drought legislation that overrides protections for salmon and steelhead in California’s Bay-Delta estuary. The bill will now be negotiated with the House of Representatives, which earlier this…

NRDC Lauds President’s Protection of Spectacular New Mexico Mountains

May 20, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (May 20, 2014)—President Obama on Wednesday will designate nearly half a million acres of rugged mountain ranges in New Mexico as the Organ Mountains-Desert Peaks National Monument, preserving the area’s spectacular scenery, ancient petroglyphs, rare flora and fauna and…

New EPA Water Intake Rule Too Weak, Fails to Protect Aquatic Life

May 19, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON (May 19, 2014) -- The Environmental Protection Agency today, following decades of litigation, issued a final rule that falls far short of what’s needed to protect fish and other aquatic life from being killed by the cooling system water…

NRDC and Berkeley Food Institute Announce Winners of the 2014 Growing Green Awards

May 14, 2014 Press ReleaseCalifornia

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (May 14, 2014) – Today, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and the Berkeley Food Institute (BFI) celebrate four remarkable leaders who are advancing sustainable food and agriculture at the sixth annual Growing Green Awards. Chosen from…

Conservation Groups, Over 4500 Citizens Call for Public Hearing, Further Environmental Review of Wilmington Port Wood Pellet Project

May 13, 2014 Press Release

Illinois Will Expand Investments in the State’s Water Infrastructure

May 9, 2014 Press Release

CHICAGO (May 9, 2014) – Illinois took some big steps towards more resilient, cost effective and sustainable water infrastructure today, according to experts with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT).

EPA Must Require Full Disclosure of Fracking Chemicals

May 9, 2014 Press Release

WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 9, 2014) – The Environmental Protection Agency today announced it will solicit comments from the public regarding whether it should require chemical manufacturers to reveal basic information about the dangerous chemicals used in fracking around the country.